Except they're under pressure to not exercise such wide latitude. A few months ago, many who had already passed the exam and were just awaiting placement found out they would have to retake the exam, a different one more to the liking of the current administration:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46156979

98% of current foreign service officers who responded to a survey said morale is lower, plus the administration is laying off 1300 of them:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/state-departm...